There are many questions about how various PCs can be upgraded to Windows 11; can Windows 7 and Windows 8 users upgrade? Is the upgrade free?

Lenovo has released a Windows 11 FAQ (via Windows Latest), which clarifies that Windows 7 users can only upgrade to Windows 11 with a new installation. It is not actually an upgrade. Lenovo explains: [Most devices available for purchase today are upgradeable to Windows 11; you have the option to upgrade, clean install, or reimage your Windows 10 device to migrate to Windows 11. For Windows 7 devices that meet the hardware requirements, a clean install or re-image is required to migrate directly to Windows 11.

Lenovo is obviously talking about how to upgrade a PC purchased from Lenovo, but it would be surprising if this advice is not universal. [Windows 7 was released in 2009, when Intel's impressive Nehalem architecture was all the rage, but TPM 2.0 was finalized in 2014 (and Windows 11 requires it.) If you are using Windows 7, It is definitely worth running PC Health Check to see if your machine can run Windows 7.

There is a lot of good stuff in Windows 11, so if you can, upgrade from Windows 7 and don't get left behind from the fun UI that Windows 11 offers. That said, there must be some pretty serious reasons not to upgrade to Windows 10, and I don't think Windows 11 will fundamentally change anything.

A fresh install of Windows 11 is a simple procedure, but we recommend backing up everything you need. installing Windows 11 should not be much different from the standard Windows install process, but you will need to watch it for a while

Windows 11 will be available by the end of the year, so be prepared to back up your machine.